Brassiere cup comprising a rib-protecting pad

ABSTRACT

A brassiere cup having at least one textile component reinforced with a stiffener in the lower region of the cup. The stiffener having one end that is covered by a localized protective part. The protective part being a pad having a thin marginal part and a thicker central part surrounded by the thin marginal part.

The invention relates to a brassiere cup consisting of at least one textile component reinforced with a stiffener which extends in an arc in the lower region of the cup and which has one end that rises and meets the upper outward side of the cup.

Such cups are known for example from documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,800 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,352.

Because they must be rigid for their support function, stiffeners are uncomfortable for users, despite the many devices which have been devised in an attempt to improve comfort, particularly by padding the stiffener itself or the tube containing the stiffener. This padding or additional thickness is usually provided all the way along the stiffener, and the end or both ends of the stiffener may also be provided with a protective cap. For example, document U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,713 discloses a brassiere with stiffeners whose ends are enclosed in a thick protective fabric sheath. Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,698 also provides a reinforcement which is covered with fleece over the whole of the rear of the outer upper edge of the cup.

However, the applicant company has found that despite this prior art, which may perhaps prevent injury from the tip of the stiffener, the part of the stiffener that rises towards the back remains a cause of discomfort and this is especially sensitive where the brassiere is designed for a relatively large bust and where its material—a lace, for example—contributes only very little to the support of the bust, which is essentially supported by the stiffener; the brassiere is tightened around the bust and the rigid metal contact of the stiffeners against the ribs is uncomfortable for the user. It is an object of the present invention to solve this problem.

The invention achieves its object by providing a brassiere cup consisting of at least one textile component reinforced with a stiffener which extends in an arc in the lower region of the cup and which has one end that rises and meets the upper outward side of the cup, said end being covered, on the inside of the cup, by a localized protective part, said cup being characterized in that the protective part is a pad made of a flexible material attached to at least one textile surface, the pad comprising a thin marginal part and a thicker central part, the marginal part having a relatively straight or slightly curved edge designed to lie along the outer upper edge of the cup and provide at least in part the connection to the cup.

The flexible and preferably relatively elastic material is preferably trapped between two textile surfaces.

The flexible material is advantageously a foam, especially a synthetic foam (such as polyethylene or polyurethane), or a nonwoven material (especially padding fibers), or a thick flexible fabric (especially so-called 3D knits).

The material of the textile surface may be a textile material having elastic qualities owing in particular to the incorporation of elastic fibers. It may be a woven fabric or a knit fabric.

The attachment of the flexible material to the surface or surfaces of the textile material of the pad may be by adhesive bonding, welding or enclosure in a pouch if two textile surfaces are used. In the case of two textile surfaces, the latter may be assembled together along their edges or along at least some of their edges, by adhesive bonding, which may be done cold or hot, particularly at pressure, or by welding, particularly by ultrasound or high frequencies. The pad is advantageously made from a complex comprising a sandwich formed by at least one filling layer between two surface layers, and subjected differentially to compression, preferably with heat: it is advantageously formed by highly compressed marginal parts and an uncompressed or only slightly compressed central part, one layer being bonded to the other by spots, beads or areas of adhesive, or welded, particularly by using meltable fibers that can be welded by ultrasound or high frequencies in the advantageous case in which the materials of the textile surfaces and/or padding comprise a certain proportion of heat-meltable fibers.

The thickness of the pad may be from 2 mm to 20 mm, but the thickness does not have to be uniform, especially when, as mentioned above, it is thinner around its edges than in its middle. Its surface area is advantageously between 2 cm² and 12 cm².

The pad has a relatively straight or slightly curved edge designed to lie along the outer upper edge of the cup, and a more curved or angled edge, for example a circular or triangular edge. The whole may be roughly the shape of a half-moon or a triangle, or other esthetic shapes, such as a stylized flower.

The pad is advantageously attached to the brassiere cup on the inside of the latter's surface, at least along the outer upper (or back) edge of the cup, by for example sewing or other means of assembly, such as welding or adhesive bonding. The relatively straight edge of the pad which is in the relatively thin region of the pad (for example consisting of two thicknesses of textile surface only or a heavily compressed sandwich) is at least partly incorporated into the outer upper edge of the cup on the inside of a hem formed on the latter, allowing at least partial attachment of the pad. Another attachment opposite the straight edge is advantageously provided, by for example stitching it to the sheath of the stiffener.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following description with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of the inside of a half brassiere, the cup of which is constructed in accordance with the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an illustrative embodiment of a pad in accordance with the invention.

The half brassiere 1, which is designed to be joined to another symmetrical half brassiere, comprises a cup properly so-called 2, the lower part of which is reinforced by a stiffener 3 which can advantageously be inserted into a tubular sheath 4 provided in the textile layers of the cup 2 or formed from an external component attached to the cup 2. The stiffener 3 is an arc shape whose concave side is uppermost, that is toward the cup 2 properly so-called, and one of its ends rises toward the upper inward (or central) edge 5 of the cup while the other end rises toward the upper outward edge 6 of the cup, in the direction of the back region 7. An adjustable shoulder strap system 8 connects the top corner 9 of the cup 2 to the rear back part 10 and a fastener system 11 is provided at the end of the back region 7. The cup 2 may be made up of several components, for example 2 a and 2 b, sewn or welded together at 12, these components being for example made of lace.

According to the invention, a protective pad 20 is provided on the inside of the brassiere to cover the end of the stiffener 3 in the region of the upper outward edge 6 of the cup 2. The pad 20 may for example be half-moon shaped with an approximately straight or slightly curved edge 21 corresponding to the shape of the edge 6 of the cup 2 to which it is attached. The pad shown in FIG. 2 comprises an approximately circular edge 22 forming the rest of the outline. On the one shown in FIG. 1, the curvature of the circular edge 22 reverses as it meets the edge 21. Other shapes are of course possible.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pad 20 is advantageously formed by two textile surfaces assembled together in such a way as to leave a central part 23 forming a pouch in which the filling material (a foam for example) is placed, and, along the edges 21, 22, a thin marginal part 24, 25 consisting of the two textile surfaces joined to each other (with or without another layer between them) and having a width of a few millimeters (e.g. 4-8 mm). This marginal part, notably the part 24 arranged along the edge 21, allows the pad to be joined easily to the cup along the edge 6, for example by being partially inserted into the seam of a hem 26 running along this edge. The pad 20 can also be attached to the cup at other points (such as at the tubular sheath 4 of the stiffener by adhesive bonding or preferably by a few stitches) or left unattached.

The pad 20 is advantageously made from a complex comprising a sandwich of at least one filling layer between two surface layers, and this sandwich is assembled and formed in a heating press in which the design of the plates allows the marginal parts 24, 25 to be heavily compressed and the central part 23 left uncompressed or compressed only slightly, while bonding the thicknesses to each other by means of for example spots of adhesive placed between the surface layers. In one specific illustrative embodiment, a 100% polyurethane foam was used as a filling material sandwiched between two polyamide/elastane locknit surfaces, one of which was coated with spots of co-polyamide adhesive. The whole was assembled on a heating press with a temperature of the lower and upper plates of around 150° C. and at a pressure of 2 to 3 bar for 5 seconds.

The same technique can very advantageously be used to make brassiere straps in a sandwich which is compressed partially in such a way that a part is left that is uncompressed or compressed only slightly and is intended to soften the contact with the skin of the shoulder. This part may for example be in the form of a simple central band that is thicker on the inside face of the strap where it passes over the top of the shoulder. 

1. A brassiere cup comprising at least one textile component reinforced with a stiffener in the lower region of the cup, the stiffener having one end that is covered by a localized protective part said protective part comprising a pad, having a thin marginal part and a thicker central part surrounded by said marginal part.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The cup according to claim 1, wherein said pad comprises a central layer disposed between two outer layers.
 5. The cup according to claim 1, wherein said marginal part is a highly compressed marginal parts and said central part is an uncompressed or slightly compressed central part.
 6. The cup according to claim 4, wherein said central layer is a flexible material disposed between two textile surfaces.
 7. The cup according to claim 6, wherein said flexible material is selected from the group consisting of a synthetic foam, a nonwoven material, and a thick flexible fabric.
 8. The cup of claim 6, wherein said two outer layers are polyamide-elastane locknit layers.
 9. A brassiere comprising: a brassiere cup having a curved lower edge; a back region adjacent said brassiere cup and connected to said lower curved edge; a stiffener disposed along said curved lower edge; and a protective pad that covers a portion of said stiffener, wherein said protective pad has two outer layers and a central flexible layer disposed between said two outer layers.
 10. The brassiere according to claim 9, wherein said protective pad is connected to said curved lower edge.
 11. The brassiere according to claim 9, wherein said two outer layers and said central flexible layer are bonded together produce a thin marginal part and a thicker central part surrounded by said thin marginal part.
 12. The brassiere according to claim 11, two outer layers and said central flexible layer are bonded using one of hot adhesive bonding, cold adhesive bonding or ultrasonic welding. 